Neil Lennon has talked a good game ever since he stepped into the carnage left behind by Tony Mowbray and started attempting to rebuild Celtic from the ashes.

Yesterday, having finally seized full control, Lennon stepped it up another notch.

No glib promises about four-year projects. No romantic notions of turning Celtic into Scotland's own Barcelona.

In contrast to what had come before Lennon's sound bites were crisply delivered and straight to the point.

"I want to bring the thunder back to this stadium - I want to make it rock again," said the 38-year-old.

And in delivering his message, Lennon also struck just the right note when he recalled the moment on Monday night when his dream of becoming Mowbray's full-time successor was finally realised.

It was after midnight at Celtic Park following a final decisive round of contract talks that confirmed his position on a one-year deal.

His head still swirling with facts and figures, Lennon stepped out of the boardroom to take some time to compose himself and was soon making a most familiar walk. But this late-night stroll might just live with him for the rest of his days.

"I had the whole place to myself," said Lennon as he retraced his steps all the way through the bowels of Parkhead, past the home dressing room and out to the mouth of the tunnel.

"It was dead still and there wasn't a soul in the ground. I had never seen the stadium like that before. There was no light apart from the moon. I had never seen the place look so good.

"It was quite a special moment. The fact I had just become Celtic manager hadn't really sunk in.

"I had only just concluded everything and walked down the tunnel to get a breath of fresh air.

"I suppose I was just feeling relieved. I stood there looking round the place and I was thinking of Martin O'Neill and Gordon Strachan and Mr Stein. I thought to myself, 'I'm standing on the shoulders of giants now like!'

"I wouldn't say it felt like a moment of destiny because I don't want to put the kiss of death on it. But it was just a nice personal moment. I have walked down that tunnel hundreds of times before but I had never seen it as serene as that before.

"It felt like this is MY place now. This is MY paradise. Fans call it Paradise all the time and they have their own reasons for that - but this was mine."

There was something perfectly poignant about Lennon's Kodac moment. It was powerful without being schmaltzy or overly sentimental.

And it encapsulates the mindset of a man who, while genuinely thrilled to have been handed this unexpected opportunity, is determined not to make a mess of it.

For Lennon, this novice from Lurgan, getting the job is not enough. It what he does with it that matters. "This is the oppor-tunity of a lifetime," he stressed.

And it was for this very reason Lennon was prepared to stick around for so long, waiting for his moment in the moonlight, when others might have walked away some time ago.

This, after all, is the former club skipper who was treated as an outsider during Mowbray's illfated reign, forced to travel on his own to away games and denied a seat on the manager's bench.

And this is the man who, after Mowbray's dismissal, spent 76 days in a public limbo, waiting around for the board to finally see fit to offer him the job. Even then the offer came with a proviso Lennon must be willing to work under the wing of a father figure.

Throughout all of this there were times when Lennon was tempted to walk away. But never enough to do it.

He said: "Jobs like this don't come around very often. I love the club, I think I can do a job here and I think the players know I can do a job here too. That's why I didn't want to leave.

"I've left the club as a player I missed it. All the boys well tell you the same. Guys like Sutty and Thommo, seasoned pros who have been here for a while. They all know, when you leave this club, you never get the same feeling again.

"That's why I thought I'd hang around for a wee bit longer.

"Yes, the longer it goes on the more you get worried it might run away from you. But over the past few days I was beginning to think that, having come this far, surely it can't go wrong now."

Lennon may even have been smarting a little as the saga dragged on towards a conclusion but now it's all worthwhile.

What Celtic have in place now is a man with only 76 days' worth of managerial experience - but a clear view of what will be required as he continues to repair Mowbray's mess. At least this time, he's in a position to do something about it.

He said: "Watching last season was not easy. The inconsistency was frustrating. They never got a head of steam up. We only won three games in a row once and that, to me, told its own story.

"The Rangers game here was a great example of our problems. We battered away at them, eventually went a goal up and then three minutes later we conceded when Rangers hadn't really threatened.

"That shows a weakness in mentality.

"That's why I want to go down the more British route.

I've only got a few left who have gone over the line in terms of "I wouldn't say the players here are immature but they are young. I've only got a few left who have gone over the line in terms of winning championships before. I'd like to bring in some experience and some quality. I want to get this place rocking again. I want players who refuse to lose.

"I want to replicate what we had under Martin. I know that's going to be hard. Now I have to put it into practice."

The stage is set and perfectly lit. It is now up to Lennon to put on a show.